Golden Rosemary Bread

Makes 1 large loaf

This is one of the most beautiful breads you'll ever see, and it is just as great to eat as it is to look at!

Find this recipe and more in Chef Paul Prudhomme's Fiery Foods That I Love.

ingredients

2 cups chicken stock

1 package active dry yeast

1 tablespoon sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons dried rosemary leaves

1 teaspoon ground savory

3/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

3¼ - 3½ cups all-purpose flour

vegetable oil spray

2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

how to prepare

Simmer the stock over medium heat until it is reduced to 1 cup. Let it cool to 110°, then stir in the yeast and sugar. Whisk the eggs in a bowl until they are frothy, then whisk in the salt.

Combine the stock mixture and the eggs in the bowl of an electric food mixer equipped with a dough hook. Stir briefly to combine, then add the rosemary, savory, and turmeric. With the mixer set on slow, gradually add 3¼ cups of the flour. Increase the speed to medium and process for 10 minutes. The dough should cling to the dough hook and be fairly elastic. If the dough is soft and sticky, add the remaining ¼ cup flour. Reduce the speed to medium slow and continue to process for 5 more minutes, or until the dough is smooth, very elastic, and clinging to the dough hook.

Flour your hands well, then gather the dough into a ball. Place the dough in a heavy mixing bowl (a thick porcelain bowl is best) that has been lightly sprayed with vegetable oil. Very lightly spray the top of the dough, then put the dough in a warm, draft-free place. (We use the top of our range, with the oven set at 300°. Or, if you have a gas oven with a pilot light, and you're not using the oven for anything else, put the dough in the unlighted oven, for the pilot light alone generates just enough warmth to encourage rising, and with the door closed, the oven is completely draft-free.) Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let the dough rise until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

Spray a 5 x 8-inch bread pan lightly but evenly with vegetable oil spray. Form the dough into a loaf shape and place it in the prepared pan. Try to get the top as even as possible, for the shape of the finished bread depends upon how even it is as it rises and bakes.

Preheat the oven to 325°. Bake until the top is browned and the loaf sounds hollow when lightly

struck, about 40 minutes. Remove the bread from the pan and brush the top with the melted butter. Cool to room temperature on a wire rack before slicing.